Archer (Fate/apocalyptica) - Houyi/Jiang Shi
Jiang Shi (講師,Kōshi Written as; 讲师 ), also known as Archer (アーチャー, Āchā), is the Archer-class servant in the Seventh Grail War. However, Jiang Shi is not a traditional servant summoned by the holy grail to partake in the horrendous war. He is instead a container for the heroic spirit Houyi, which bounded itself to Jiang Shi's body due to interferences made by the world while Jiang Shi initially performed the ritual. Giving the young magi an existence similar to an artificial dual personality. Jiang Shi transformed into one being with two seperate souls battling for control within. Such an incident spawned from a series of perceivably unrelated events, ultimately orchestrated by the counter force, meant to create a beast of Alaya that would prevent humanities destruction during the worldwide calamity created by Angra Mainyu. Profile Identity Archer is a unique existence created by Alaya as a method of protecting itself from The world's calamities. It began when Alaya chose a human whose background in magecraft spanded across familiar generations, ultimately instilling a tremendous amount of magic circuits within him upon birth. However, this amateur magi only possessed a minimal amount of magical activity and thus lacked the general goals that Magus are given; Such as a detrimental desire to locate Akasha. This lack of drive allowed Alaya to further manipulate the young Magi to further it's protective purpose. Alaya also utilized the ancient hero Houyi as the other half of the puzzle by manipulating both pieces simultaneously in the past and present. Houyi, once an unrivaled Divine Spirit, sacrificed his holiness to protect humanities existence from the horrid sun crows. From there on he continued slaying beast to ensure that humans lived happily. However, Houyi was betrayed by his student after becoming a tyrant. Which occurred due to losing his wife as she ascended to the moon. Both Jiang Shi and Houyi experience tragic backgrounds, yet their resolve and personalities drove Alaya to combine both; Jiang Shi (講師,Kōshi Written as; 讲师 ) was originally born in New York City on Novermber 20th. He has long since forgotten his originally name and shows a rather disinterest in remembering. His parents were two powerful magi born into a family who chose to remain hidden in fear of other families and the Mage's Association meddling in their personal plans. Their affinity revolved around the study and progression of Necromancy and have passed on generations of knowledge. Said to be the strongest bloodline of necromancers, Jiang Shi's family have held a place near every human catastrophe in history. They also utilized particular breeding methods and selective pairing to artificially create powerful magus with a strong connection to death. Whereas most Magus are known for gathering secrets and runes, Jiang Shi's family were prominent archeologist who searched the globe in efforts of discovering once lost artifacts which would serve as catalyst to unholy power. They dreamed of binding the spirits and residual memories found in these special items to corpses; Creating artificial servants who would allow them to rise above all else. Their most recent discovery, an old bow, was believed to be the one weapon that would actualize their dreams. Unfortunately, word leaked of their horrific efforts, inhumane experimentations and recent discovery. Leading to the Church actively tracking down their workshop. Meanwhile Jiang Shi's parents attempted to train their son in the art of Necromancy. Although somewhat skillful, Jiang Shi cared little for magic. Instead, he preferred actual weaponry as it taught a requirement of peace of mind. He even displayed a rather impressive talent for archery despite at a young age. However, Jiang Shi did learn necromantic spells and indulged in the dark arts as well. He favored using bones and skeletal based spells in battle. During his usual training exorcises, Jiang Shi's father interrupted the young magi with a summons. Jiang Shi's father had recieved visions of their demise at the hand's of the church and knew they were on borrowed time. Rather than waste their thaumaturgical capability, he decided it was time to pass on their families magic crest. And so he performed the ritual which took the form of an obsidian dragon imprinted upon Jiang Shi's arm. But he also placed his most trusted artifact within Jiang Shi; The ancient bow they recently stumbled upon. The executioner's arrived while Jiang Shi, 15, was at school in the Lower East Side. They barged into his parents workshop at destroyed everything after claiming their lives. The Church also seized the artifacts both parents worked so hard to gather. However, they noticed that one went missing. The one which had been stolen from an excavation in China. That same day, Jiang Shi experienced unusual public transportation traffic. It took him an extra two hours to arrive home, ultimately sparing his life and the findings of his family. Although distraught, Jiang Shi managed to call the police and report what he discovered. Unfortunately, his father had different plans. Before their death, Jiang Shi's parents created a barrier which caused those unrelated to them to see an empty house. After the police left, Jiang Shi stumbled upon a note detailing a specific set of orders. First, Jiang Shi was instructed to burn their house down. All of their familiar research had been imprinted upon his left arm as a magic crust. And so he swore to continue their goals of finding the truth of immortality. Second, Jiang Shi was instructed to his inheritance and fly to southern Chengdu where his family owned property. He was also told to bring the key that his father kept sacred. Although he lacked any idea where the key was supposed to go, Jiang Shi took it with him to China. They owned a small manor there which they used as a vacation home. Jiang Shi began to understand why his father taught him three different Chinese dialects as a child. Jiang Shi arrived safely and began to live among the citizens peacefully. He found happiness from escaping the city life and constant pursuit that Magi's were forced to endure. However, Jiang Shi continued practicing necromancy and archery in private. Living in such a large area allowed Jiang Shi to live undisturbed for three years. He occasionally visited other cities, such as Shanghai and Nanjing, for freelance work. Eventually Jiang Shi, who mainly lived in his father's old studies, stumbled upon a locked chest. An idea struck him at that very moment. He tried the key his father left and it instantly unlocked. There, rested hundreds of books about an object called the holy grail. Taken from a surviving magus of the previous war, the notes spoke of a war that would grant a wish to it's survivor. It spoke of how to invoke the summoning process and the estimated next appearance..... Appearance Personality Archer is an existence imposed with two separate souls inside a single container; Making him a rather entertaining individual. They are two separate personalities which exhibit totally different views based on their personal lives. And such, they are prone to arguing in situations where time is of the essence. These arguments are had even as they move throughout the day normally. Although they can hold conversations mentally, they are known to use the main body as a method of speaking. Causing Archer to appear as a mentally ill person who will hold an entire conversation with himself in public. Thus making arguments all the more entertaining to observers. However, despite their petty differences, both spirits possess similar views towards life and humanity. And together, they wish to achieve the same end goal; Immortality. Eventually, the two sides that represent Archer began to correspond to one another with a deeper understanding. Leading to a stronger bond between both spirits. Transforming Archer into a force truly fear by others. Jiang Shi Jiang Shi represents the good within Archer, and such often attempts to provide a voice of reason. As a child, Jiang Shi despised how savagely his parents treated humanity and life itself. Although he respected his parents, Shi constantly displayed a hidden rebellion. From avoiding Magecraft training sessions to berating those who seeked something as futile as immortality. Jiang Shi lacked parental obligation and lived selfishly. However, discovering the corpses of his parents changed Jiang Shi's aspects towards both life and death. He realized life's extreme delicacy and began to fear it's destruction. But Jiang Shi also gained an appreciation for death for it became the only promise that was not broken. This transformation lead to Jiang Shi enjoying being in Death's presence. He is often found loitering in graveyards and hospitals. He also managed to build multiple workshops deep within China's catacombs which are protected by skeletal guardians. However, Jiang Shi is a Magi who is neither classified as entirely good nor evil. Jiang Shi lives a life where chaos, order, life and death are simply tools to bring happiness and joy. Jiang Shi believes that humans should help one another despite their ranks. He utterly despises how Magus view humans; Usually berating Magi as practitioners of a dying art. This disgust also translate towards the way Magus view the art of Necromancy. Thought of as beautiful by Jiang Shi, he believes that the Magus Association snobbish view towards the Dark Arts is responsible for humanities various calamities and their own futile lives. Death is the only promise, a force which even compels those believed to be gods. It is the first magic Houyi Roles Fate/apocalyptica Abilities Mystic Eyes of Spirit Guidance Trivia *Jiang Shi's name is also a pun on his magecraft as Jiangshi are hopping zombies. *Thanks a lot to Kaze for helping me with some ideas. Category:Fate/apocalyptica